Chapter IV: First Impressions
by Squirrel Patronus
Summary: In the first part Wendy tries to find a friendly car on the Hogwarts Express. In the second part Severus and Lily find a better car after leaving James and Sirius. Is it really better? Lily, Severus, James, Sirius, Alice, Marlene, Dorcas and Mary belong to J.K. Rowling all others are mine.


The Hogwarts Express pulled out of the station with a loud whistle and billowing puffs of steam. Students leaned out of windows, waving goodbye to their families or hastily jostled each other in the corridor, trying to find seats.

"Follow me, Wendy." Wendy followed her sister, holding tightly onto Ling, her Siamese cat. Winifred stopped at one of the middle compartments and slid the door open for Wendy to enter. Wendy stopped short when she saw Narcissa Black. Her blonde hair was neatly tied back with a black velvet ribbon. As usual, her lovely face bore the expression of haughty disdain. She was with three younger girls whom Wendy did not know.

"Thank you so much for reserving this car for my sister, Narcissa," Winifred gushed. "It is so kind of you."

"You know quite well why I wanted Wendoline to be here," Narcissa said shortly. "Wendoline Nott, this is my cousin, Joanne Rosier and her friends, Donatella Mammon and Patsy Cromwell. They are also starting their first year at Hogwarts. I'm sure that you will have a lot in common with them. Now if you will excuse me, I have to go to my car. My friends are waiting." Narcissa turned and left the car, ignoring Winifred who trailed after her.

Wendy looked at the other girls. Joanne was tall and slender like her cousin, but her long flowing hair was red instead of blonde. She had pale, flawless skin and brilliant blue eyes. Her nose was so upturned that Wendy could almost see straight into her nostrils.

"Delighted to meet you Wendoline," she drawled. "Donatella, Patsy and I have known each other for years, but we are always glad to make the acquaintance of another pure-blood. "

"Nice to meet you." Wendy responded. She was unsure what to say. She was aware that Donatella and Patsy were staring at her. Patsy was skinny with frizzy hair. Various colored moles dotted her face by her chin and nose. Donatella was short with glossy black curls. She had a round face with apple cheeks, but her dark eyes were small and piggish and her mouth was set into a smirk. She whispered into Patsy's ear while staring at Wendy. Patsy let out a high-pitched giggle.

"It was nice of Narcissa to reserve this car," Wendy finally said. The three girls continued to stare at her. Joanne smiled.

"Well of course my cousin wanted us to have this car," she said. "Didn't your sister tell you?"

"Tell me what?" Wendy wondered what the secret was. Patsy let out another shrill giggle and Donatella's smirk became more pronounced. Wendy glared back at them, not bothering to hide her dislike.

"We didn't want any scummy Mudbloods sharing the car with us. I asked Narcissa if any of her friends had a pure-blood sister who was starting First Year. She said that she would find someone, and here you are!" Joanne said triumphantly.

"Well, I'm sorry, but I cannot stay here. I promised my friends that I would ride with them," Wendy responded. Joanne stopped smiling.

"Who are these friends of yours?" she demanded.

"Friends whom I met when I was shopping at Diagon Alley. I really cannot leave them wondering where I am! I'm sorry, but Winifred did not tell me that she had reserved a car for me. It was nice meeting you. I'm sure that we'll see each other at Hogwarts."

Wendy exited the car and walked towards the rear of the train. She was seething. Damn Winifred and her social-climbing pure-blood snobbery! Being shoved into a car with three girls with whom she had nothing in common and would never have approached at all, simply because she was a pure-blood. To top it off she had lied to them. She hated to lie, but riding to Hogwarts in their company was worse.

Wendy glanced at the people in the cars as she walked past. It wouldn't be a lie if she found the right car and made friends with the children inside. She saw three girls, two brunettes and a blonde, playing gobstones. A foul stream of black liquid shot out at the blonde. She laughed along with the other two.

"Got you that time, Alice!"

"Just wait, Marlene! You and Dorcas haven't been giving it your all, and this is only the first round!"

They looked like nice girls, but they obviously were good friends who had known each other for a long time. Wendy would have felt strange intruding on their little circle. She passed on and nearly collided with two children who were storming out of the car in front of her.

"See ya, Snivellus!" she heard a voice catcall from the compartment before the door slid shut. Wendy stared face-to-face with Severus Snape. His black eyes were gleaming with pent-up rage. A pretty redhead was standing next to him. She also looked indignant.

"What horrid boys! They think that they're so cool, when actually...Oh, hello!" The girl noticed Wendy and smiled warmly. "I'm Lily Evans."

"I'm Wendy Nott. Hello, Severus."

"Let's go, Lily!" Severus said impatiently, ignoring Wendy. "I think that I saw some cars that were not full towards the back." He turned abruptly and headed towards the back of the train. Lily gave Wendy an apologetic smile, shrugged her shoulders and followed Severus.

"What a rude little twit!" Wendy fumed. She had promised her mother that she would be kind to the difficult son of her mother's equally difficult former friend. So far he had not been cooperative. She looked inside the car that he and Lily had just vacated. A tousle-haired boy with glasses was laughing along with his friend. Wendy recognized his friend as Sirius Black, the handsome but arrogant boy whom she had met on the platform. He had barely spoken to her. Apparently she was not cool enough for the likes of him. Well, he could just piss up a rope, as her Aunt Brunella would have said.

Wendy pressed on towards the back. The right car was here somewhere. She would know when she found it.

"Oh, Robin, you mustn't make him nervous!" A pretty voice exclaimed from the car ahead of her. The door was ajar. Wendy stepped in and smiled at the plump girl with the sweet voice.

"Hi Margaret! Do you remember me?"

"Wendy! I didn't think that I would find you on the train!" Margaret Hodge smiled happily at her and turned to the tall blond boy seated next to her.

"Robin, this is Wendy Nott. I met her when my wand chose me at Ollivander's. Wendy, this is Robin Wigglesworth. His family lives down the road from mine."

"Hey, Wendy. Margaret told me that you gave her some good advice at Ollivander's about having the right wand find her!" Robin seemed like a nice boy, not obnoxious like Sirius and his friend or bad-natured like Severus. His freckled face was friendly.

"She was actually doing quite well!" Wendy said cheerfully. She turned to the third occupant of the car. The boy was shorter than Robin. He was olive-skinned and handsome.

"It is good to meet you, Wendy Nott," he said as he shook her hand. "I'm Mahmoud Siddiqui."

"Margaret and I were telling Mahmoud about the Four Houses," Robin said. "He's the first one in his family to attend Hogwarts!"

"Are you Muggle-born?" Wendy asked. He certainly did not look Muggle-born, with his aristocratic features and beautiful crimson robes.

"No. My family emigrated to this country and I was born here," he replied. "I actually received two invitations-one to Hogwarts and one to Huta Raputa."

"Hootah what?" Robin looked puzzled.

"Huta Raputa! That is amazing!" Wendy cried out. "Huta Raputa is the oldest magical academy in the Middle East. It was founded by Zoroaster and is world famous for innovative methods in incantation spells. It is the alma mater of Salim Ben Thabit and al-Khwarizmi. It is still..." Wendy paused in mid-sentence and blushed. She was being a prattling know-it-all, as Winifred often accused her. Margaret and Robin were staring at her in awe and Mahmoud was smiling.

"How did you know all of that?" Margaret asked.

"I am happy to hear that someone else knows about Huta Raputa. Both of my parents went there. I debated about going there as well, but I thought that it was a real honor to be the first in my family to attend Hogwarts," Mahmoud said.

"They do not have Houses at Huta Raputa. All of the first years are assigned to the same quarters. Margaret and Robin were explaining the House system to me."

"The good old Sorting Hat," Robin nodded. "It will put you in the place where it feels you are best suited. I'm not sure how that is determined. I heard that family is a factor. My dad was in Ravenclaw-I hope that I go there as well!"

"What about your mother?" Wendy inquired.

"Mum is a Muggle. I'm not sure if that will affect the Hat's decision."

"My mum was also in Ravenclaw, but my dad was in Hufflepuff," Margaret offered. "I would be happy in either House. How about you, Wendy?"

"My parents and my sister were all sorted into Slytherin."

The other children were silent. Robin no longer looked friendly and Margaret seemed guarded.

"Slytherin, eh? I guess you don't think much of my Muggle mother." Robin said quietly.

"There are some good Slytherins," Margaret said hesitantly. "Very famous wizards and witches. My parents didn't have any friends in that House. They gave Dad a hard time while he was at Hogwarts and Mum didn't like the pure-blood prejudice that a lot of the students in that House espoused."

"My mother is the kindest person that you would ever meet and my sister is good," Wendy said sharply. "I'm sure that you would like them. I think that I would like your mother too, Robin."

Robin relaxed and smiled. Margaret looked relieved.

"I'm glad that you decided to sit with us, Wendy."

"Me too. This is the best car."

The snack trolley paused outside the door. Several students crowded around it purchasing sweets.

"Do you trade Chocolate Frog cards, Wendy?" Margaret asked.

"Yes! Does anyone have Faust?" Wendy asked happily as she went to make her purchase. She returned with her sweets as Robin and Margaret unwrapped their cards. Mahmoud was still at the snack trolley, speaking with some Gryffindor upperclassmen.

"They want him badly," Margaret said as she inspected a card. "So does Slytherin. So do Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff for that matter, but the other two Houses are more open about it. He's one of the Desirables."

Desirables were hotly sought-after students, according to Winifred. Whether it was a famous family, personal wealth, good looks, special talents or a combination of these characteristics, they were considered worthy prizes for the House where they were sorted.

"What's his story?" Wendy asked as she popped a green Every Flavor Bean into her mouth. Clover.

"He comes from a very noble and ancient pure-blood family," Robin replied. "They have been famous master astronomers for centuries, and served as advisors in the courts of several Middle-Eastern kings. The rumor is that he is a direct descendant of Balthazar."

"Balthazar of the Three Magi?" Wendy was incredulous.

"The very one. The Gryffindors and Slytherins are practically wetting themselves with excitement. They're pretty sure that he'll end up in either House."

"I wonder why he decided to sit with us?" Margaret said.

"Probably to escape all of the slobbering adoration and fawning. I mean, look at those idiots!" Robin tossed two cards onto the seat. "Here are two Merlins. I already have four of him."

Mahmoud re-entered the car, his hands clutching bags of sweets.

"I was trading cards with those fellows in the corridor. Both of them are Gryffindors. They were very nice." He smiled and laid down his cards. "Sorry, Wendy, no Faust. His card seems to be very desirable!"

"You don't say," Wendy replied. "I see that you have Rhiannon. Are you willing to trade her for a Circe?"

"Done!"

"Stop walking so fast, Severus!"

Lily caught up with her friend as he strode purposely past several cars. The incident with those two rowdy, obnoxious boys had put him into one of his moods.

"Severus!"

"What is it?" he asked crossly.

"Sev, those boys were idiots! Please don't let them ruin this day for us!"

"Stupid arseholes!"

"Come on, Sev. They are only two people on this train! That girl Wendy seemed nice. You were rather rude to her."

"I'm angry! Also, she's an annoying little know-it-all who isn't half as clever as she thinks she is!"

"She didn't do anything wrong. She was just trying to be friendly."

"I know," Severus sighed. "I'm sorry, Lily. You're right. Let's find another car."

Lily heard loud laughter and looked over to her right. There were three boys and a girl in the car, all dressed in Muggle clothes. The girl waved at them. Lily smiled and walked into the car.

"Not this car, Lily!" Severus protested too late.

"Hello! I'm Mary MacDonald," the girl said. She was wearing bell bottoms and a stylish crocheted vest over a rust colored turtleneck. Lily felt very little girlish in her cotton dress and cardigan, but Mary was warm and friendly.

"This is Harold Chin," she nodded at the Asian boy next to her. "Those two loud mouths are Gary Martin and Billy Shears."

"Loud mouths? I resemble that remark!" Gary feigned annoyance. He was a tall black boy dressed in jeans and a Batman t-shirt. His redheaded friend Billy laughed.

"I'm Lily Evans. This is Severus Snape."

"You're a Muggle-born too, ain't you Lily?" Billy asked. "All of us are. Gary and I have known each other since we were little. We just met Harold and Mary on the platform. They looked lost. We have to stick together! Muggle-born pride!" He pumped a fist into the air. Lily laughed. Severus snorted.

"Are you Muggle-born, Severus?" Gary asked.

"What do you think?" Severus responded coldly. He sat in the corner and stared glumly out the window.

"What was the matter with him?" Lily wondered. She liked these kids. They were friendly and funny. Well, she was not moving to another car.

"I was beginning to think that I was the only Muggle-born girl going to Hogwarts," Mary remarked. "There don't seem to be that many of us."

"Don't worry about that, Mary," Harold chimed in. "There aren't too many pure-bloods either, from what I've read. Most of the students are half and halfs."

"Half-blood is the correct term," Severus said flatly.

"Is that what you are, mate?" Billy asked him. "You look like you know more about the magical world than we do. Have we met?"

"No, we haven't met. Don't call me mate!" Severus continued to stare out of the window. Billy's smile turned into an angry scowl as he clenched his fists and slowly rose from his seat.

"Do you two have any comic books that you're willing to trade?" Harold asked quickly, diffusing the situation. He drew a stack out of his satchel.

"What do you have here?" Billy asked as he sat down again. He and Gary began riffling through the stack.

Lily exhaled in relief. She turned to Mary who also looked happy that the situation had been remedied. Mary was stroking a large ginger cat that had jumped down from the baggage rack into her lap.

"His name is Mungo. Do you like cats?"

"Very much!" Lily stroked the cat behind his ears, listening to his contented purrs. Lily and Mary chatted happily as the train sped through the countryside. The three boys played several rounds of cards with Gary winning most of the games. They all purchased every variety of sweets from the snack trolley and marveled at the moving portraits on the Chocolate Frog cards. They dared each other to try the more oddly colored Every Flavor Beans. Severus stared out of the window, motionless, for the majority of the ride. Lily tried to engage him in conversation with the other children to no avail.

"Arriving in Hogsmeade in half an hour!" they heard the conductor call out as he walked down the corridor.

"Blimey, we better get dressed!" Billy grabbed his robes and headed towards the lavatory to change. The other boys followed, with the exception of Severus, who had changed into his Hogwarts robes upon boarding the train.

"Let's go, Lily! The girls' lavatory is this way!" Mary put Mungo into his cat carrier and pulled her robes out of her bag.

"I'll be right back, Sev," Lily said to him. For the first time in hours he turned away from the window and looked at her. His eyes were sad and pleading, which made her heart hurt.

"Promise?" he asked quietly. "Yes," she replied. "I promise."


End file.
